WVU Mountaineer Sports: Basketball | Football | News |Volleyball: WVU Suffers Loss to Houston

The West Virginia University volleyball team fell in its first match to Houston 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 19-25, 18-25) at the University of Kentucky Invitational.

After losing the first set, the Mountaineers (2-7) came back to win set two before falling in the next two to the Cougars (5-2).

After starting set one with a 3-1 advantage, the Mountaineers let the lead slip as Houston climbed ahead 17-12. WVU used a service error from the Cougars and three kills from freshman middle blocker Evyn McCoy and junior outside hitter Anke de Jong to close the gap 19-17. The Cougars then used a kill from Katie Norris to fuel a 6-3 run to take the first set 25-20.

With a service ace from freshman setter Courtney Robison, the Mountaineers jumped to a 13-10 lead to start the second set. WVU never looked back as they kept the lead the rest of the set as freshman outside hitter Halle Kearney led the way with five kills and a .429 hitting percentage.

Houston started the third set with a 7-0 lead with four kills from Lucy Charuk before a kill from Kearney snapped the run. The Mountaineers used a block from senior middle blocker Abby Monson and senior outside hitter Kylie Armbruster to cut the lead to five but WVU could not overcome the early deficit and ultimately lost the set 25-19. 

The Cougars used the momentum from the third set to gain control and finish the match in four sets.

Kearney led the way for the Mountaineers with 10 kills and four blocks while senior libero Serinna Russo recorded 27 digs and one service ace. Senior setter Kari Post recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 21 assists and 12 digs.

The Mountaineers return to action at 5 p.m. tonight at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky., where they will take on Loyola Marymount in the team's second match at the University of Kentucky Invitational.